Overview
To start with web and Laravel development, you'll need the following:
A Web Server : To actually run your web apps.
PHP : The language to write your apps in.
A Database : Where you can store your app data.
Composer : Used to manage PHP dependencies.
The Laravel Project Files : The actual Laravel source files.
This tutorial will walk you through the process of installing and configuring a web server as well as everything needed to start developing with Laravel. I'm working in Windows, so everything here is for the windows operating system.
Installing a web server
For our purposes, we will be using WampServer. It includes a web server (Apache), PHP, and a database (MySQL).
There are however a few things you need to change before being able to use Laravel.
Installation
Download and install the WampServer stack. I use WAMP SERVER (64 BITS & PHP 5.4) 2.4
Check if it’s working.
Run the server.
In a browser navigate to http://localhost.
You shoulde see the WampServer welcome page.
PHP path
Before going further, we have to put the PHP executable in our system path. This allows us to run PHP commands from anywhere in a command window.
For more detailed instructions, check out the PHP installation manual: PHP manual
Open the Windows Control Panel.
Choose System, then Advanced System Settings
In the Advanced tab, choose Environmental Variables
In System variables find the Path entry and choose Edit
At the end of the Variable Value add a ; and your PHP path
;[wamp_folder]\bin\php\phpx.x.x
Click OK
System Path
Be careful NOT to overwrite the system path. Only ADD your PHP path to it.
You can test if php.exe is in the system path by opening a command prompt and typing php. If it doesn’t give any errors, you can continue.
mod_rewrite
Next you have to enable the Apache module mod_rewrite. mod_rewrite along with your .htaccess file is needed by the Apache server so you can have pretty urls.
Left click on the WampServer tray icon.
Choose Apache -> httpd.conf. This opens the Apache configuration file.
In the file, find mod_rewrite. It should look like this:
#LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
Remove the # at the start of the line so you have:
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
Save the file and close it.
openssl
The final step is to enable openssl for PHP. openssl is needed by Composer to download files.
php.ini
There are two php.ini files. One in the Apache folder and one in the PHP folder. I usually just change the settings in both files.
First, for the php.ini file in the Apache folder:
Go to [wamp_folder]\bin\apache\Apachex.x.x\bin
Open php.ini.
Find openssl. It should look like this:
;extension=php_openssl.dll
Remove the ; at the start of the line so you have:
extension=php_openssl.dll
Save the file and close it.
Now, do the same for the php.ini in the php folder.
Go to [wamp_folder]\bin\php\phpx.x.x
Open php.ini.
Find openssl. It should look like this:
;extension=php_openssl.dll
Remove the ; at the start of the line so you have:
extension=php_openssl.dll
Save the file and close it.
Restart WampServer.
Installing Composer
Composer is used to manage your PHP dependencies. It's also what I use to download Laravel.
The next two sections follows the documentation at Laravel.com so you can check that out if you need further help
First, download the Composer Windows installer at Composer-Setup.exe
Run the installer and install Composer.
php Path
The php executable is located at [wamp_folder]\bin\php\phpx.x.x. If you put the PHP folder in the system path as mentioned earlier, it should show up here. If not, go back and make sure your PHP folder is in the system path.
Test Composer
Open a Windows Command Window: Windows Key + r, type cmd and enter.
In the command window type composer and enter
If you see the Composer usage instructions, you're good to go.
Getting Laravel
The last step is to actually get the Laravel project files. Again, this is the same information as the Laravel start guide at Laravel.com .
The start guide shows you three ways of getting the Laravel project files. I'll be using composer create-project.
Where do I put my projects?
All the files for your web projects will go into the Wamp web folder at [wamp_folder]\www. These folders correspond to the urls of your web pages.
Open a command window in your wamp www folder.
Opening a Command Window
A quick way to open a command window at a specific folder is to browse to the folder in windows, then shift + right click on the folder and choose Open command window here.
In the command window type:
composer create-project laravel/laravel [your-project-name] --prefer-dist
Wait while the Laravel project files and dependencies download
When done, you should have a new folder with the name you specified in the composer command.
Test the Laravel project
If WampServer is not running, start it now.
Open your browser and go to http://localhost/[your-project-name]/public
You have arrived... I hope.
Congratulations
You should now have your first Laravel project and be ready to start creating web apps.
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